The Nuthatch. Sitta feu Picus cinems;
Numb. XXVI1L
IT S Weight was one Onnce; its Length, from the Tip o f the Bill to the Encf'of
; the Tail, wasfive Inches and three quarters, to theEnd of the Toes fix Inches; ,tWe
Bill was ftreight, triangular, black above, underneath towards the Throat , white, al-
moft an Inch long, meafuring from the Tip to the Angles of the Mouth 5 the Tongue
broad, not longer than the Mouth, horny at theEnd and jagged j the Noftrils round
and covered with fmall Briftles; the Head, Neck, and Back of an Aih-colour; the
Sides under the Wings red; the Throat and Breaft of a pale chefnut red; the lower
Belly under the Tail hath fome red Feathers with white Tips, from the Billthrough,
the Eyes to the Neck is extended a black Stroak; the Chin is white.
The Number of flag.Feathers is nineteen, of which the firft is very fhort aridTittle;
the„interiour, or thofe next the:Body, have their Webs cinereous;: the exteriour dusky;
the Shafts of all are black : The Wings underneath are marked with a double Spot,
the one white at the Roots of the exteriour Quills, the other black and larger beginning
at the Infertion of the' baftard Wing.
The Tail is fhort, fcarce two Inches, made up of twelve Feathers, all "of equal
Length, not fharp pointed, nor ftiff as in the Woodpeckers, but flexil and limber; rhe
twomiddlemoft cinereous, the two next to them black with cinereous Tips; the two
fucceeding have the infide o f their Tips white, the outfide cinereous; the outmoft have
their Tips of a dark Aih-colour, and under that a tranfverfe white Spot, the reft of the
Feathers being black.
The Legs are fhort; both Legs and Feet, of a dark flefh Colour; It hath but one
back Toe equal to the middle of the fore Toes; the Claws are great and crooked, and
o f a dusky Colour, that of the back Toe the biggeft, the outmoft fore Toe the leaft.;
both outmoft and inmoft joined to the middle Toe at the Bottom.
It had a mufculous Stomach or Gizzard, in which were Beetles and other Infecls;
the Length of the Guts was fix Inches and a half; the blind Guts fhort.
It builds in Holes o f Trees, and if the Entrance be too big, it doth artificially flop*
up part of it with Clay,' leaving a fmall Hole for it felf to paß in and" out by. It
feeds not only on Infefts, but alfo on Nut-Kernels: it is a pretty Spectacle to
lee her fetch a Nut out of her Hoard, place it fail in a Chink, and then Handing,
above it, with her Head downwards, ftriking it with all its Force, breaks the Shell
and catches up the Kernell.